Pea Soup

Enjoy this Pea Soup year-round for a nutritious, fiber-packed meal. That’s right! Peas provide a whopping 7 grams of fiber per 1-cup serving. And let’s not forget the protein! For that same 1-cup serving, you’ll get 8 grams of plant-based protein. It’s a satisfying soup that’s delicious and beautiful too, thanks to the peas’ brilliant green hue. Read on for everything you need to make this pea soup recipe below, including our suggestions for delicious toppings and helpful tips.

How to Make Pea Soup

1. Build the Flavor

A Dutch oven is the perfect cooking vessel for making soup. It’s wide enough to provide ample space for softening the vegetables that build the flavor. If you don’t have one, any large pot will do the trick. We use onion, celery, garlic and fresh herbs cooked in a little bit of butter to build up the savory flavors that balance the sweet peas.

2. Cook the Peas

Thanks to their small size, the peas will cook quickly once the water and broth are added. Bring the water and broth to a simmer and then cook the peas until tender, which will only take a minute or two.

3. Blend It Up

When pureeing hot liquids, using an immersion blender is your safest bet. If you don’t have one, a countertop blender is a close second. Wait at least 10 minutes for the liquids to cool before blending, removing the circular part of the lid to allow the steam to escape—just make sure to cover the opening with a dish towel before you turn the blender on. If your blender is very full, blend the soup in batches.

Best Toppings to Try

• Crispy peas. For a little bit of sweet crunch, add a few crispy peas as a garnish. You can make them yourself, or buy a bag of prepared crispy peas. If you choose prepared, stick with plain, unflavored peas to avoid too much additional sodium.
• Crumbled, cooked bacon. If you have a strip or two of bacon, cook it up then crumble it to use as a crunchy, salty topping for your soup. Note this will add sodium and saturated fat to the dish, so if you’ve been advised to follow a heart-healthy diet, skip the bacon or use low-sodium turkey bacon and garnish with just a little bit.
• Fried onions. Those crispy, sweet fried onions are delicious on green bean casserole, but also on this soup! You can use store-bought or make your own crispy fried onions in the oven.
• A drizzle of olive oil. A simple drizzle of a delicious extra-virgin olive oil is a great finishing touch. Choose something of good quality, reserved for dressings and finishing dishes, that won’t overpower the soup.

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!

• Both fresh and frozen peas work well here. If fresh peas are in season, it’s worth the time to shuck your own (or buy them already shucked if you’re lucky!). Frozen peas also work well when fresh are out of season or if you’re in a time crunch. Frozen peas are picked and frozen at their peak of freshness, locking in most of their fresh, sweet flavor. If you’re using frozen peas in this recipe, there is no need to thaw them beforehand. 
• Butter adds flavor, but has a low smoke point. Combining it with extra-virgin olive oil, which has a higher smoke point, means you can use both without burning. If you prefer to not use butter, simply omit it and use 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil instead.
• In a pinch, water will work as the liquid for this soup. Consider adding a bay leaf and some parsley stems (which you can remove before blending), to give it a bit more body.
• Adding half-and-half at the end gives the soup an especially creamy texture. It can be reduced or left out completely if you’re concerned about saturated fat.

Nutrition Notes

• Green peas are part of the legume family, as well as being considered a starchy vegetable. Like other legumes and vegetables, peas offer a nice package of carbs, protein, fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients, including vitamin K, vitamin C, B vitamins and manganese. Green peas are a good source of plant-based protein—which is why pea protein powder is popular among vegans. Peas are also considered low-glycemic and offer a nice dose of fiber, so when eaten in moderation, they can be a great choice for people with diabetes.
• Regular broth can have upward of 860 milligrams of sodium per cup, so we call for reduced-sodium broth instead. Using reduced-sodium or no-salt-added foods is just one way to cut back on sodium in your diet. Slashing sodium from your diet is a heart-healthy move that can help reduce high blood pressure.